France has accused the European Union's German energy commissioner of "irrational"
doom-mongering over atomic power and using Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis
to boost an election result for Angela Merkel.

Guenther Oettinger defended his comments as part the range of different opinions on nuclear power across the EUPhoto: REUTERS

The remarks, made last week, came as the German Chancellor closed down seven ageing reactors and pledged to phase out atomic power in Germany in order to successfully beat off an electoral challenge by the anti-nuclear Green Party in key regional elections on Sunday.

France, which has 58 reactors and produces 80 per cent of its energy from atomic power, was angered by the German intervention which has boosted the French anti-nuclear movement.

At an emergency Brussels meeting on Monday called by the German commissioner to discuss new tests of Europe’s reactors, Eric Besson, the French energy minister, accused Mr Oettinger of “neurotic” opposition to atomic power.

"I regret declarations which caused shock in France and Europe. There is absolutely no need to feed the neurosis," he said.

Mr Oettinger on Monday defended his comments as part the range of different opinions on nuclear power across the EU.

"I think some people are more cautious in their assessment but my assessment did not create any panic," he insisted.

Germany and Austria, another anti-nuclear country, have pushed for "stress tests" to be carried out on all of Europe's 143 reactors to ensure they could stand up to earthquake and tsunami scenario such as occurred at the Fukushima plant.

"We have standardised all sorts of things in the EU, from the size of apples to the shape of bananas, and we could also really talk about common safety measures for all the nuclear centres in Europe," said Chancellor Merkel at the weekend.

The move is regarded as a power grab to give the EU more control over atomic policy in countries such as Britain, France and Spain where the choice to use nuclear plants is currently regarded a vital part of national sovereignty over energy generation.

Britain and France have backed tests to ensure that reactors can withstand natural disasters on condition that the measure does not give a backdoor route for the EU, and anti-nuclear countries such as Austria and Germany, to interfere in national decisions.

"It's designed to bolster, not replace, the national, independent nuclear safety regimes that are already required of member states," said a British official.